Well, going to SnowShoe in Jan for the first time skiing in 15 years, a lot has changed in those years. What size ski's do you think I will need (i am renting from somewhere in/near snowshoe) for a 6'5 350lb guy. I am a former College football offensive linemen, I am not in bad shape, just always been big and have a big gut.... I am a little concerned when it comes to renting ski's and what size I would need... Obviously I am a type 1 skier now (back growing up, my family and I were skiing Black Diamonds in Colorado pretty easily) so I know the skill set is there, just forgotten for the time...

Any idea lengths? I was thinking atleast 190....

I'd hate to be the Dude 3/4 of the way down Cup run on your 1st run down the slope...you know..till you shake off your rust!...6'5 350lb offensive linemen turned into out of control skiing Back
I think the rule on newer Sidecuts is for the tip of the ski to come up somewhere between your chin & F-head. I'll be waiting for the Answer myself but 190 seems about right to me.

many of the newer "side cut" type skis dont come much more than 190 /195 (especially rentals)

The one thing you need to keep in mind is that new shaped, or parabolic skis, do carve just by their shape. They're not like the old sticks that you had to dig into in order to turn, or play Bolshoi Ballerina doing Christies. These new ones (with differing gradients), turn by themselves (just about). If you're heavy weight and have lots of inertia coming down the mountain, you need to be prepared for a turn else you go one way and the skis go another.

A longer than normal ski may be in order given your height/weight, also considering that parabolic technology has shortened skis substantially. I'd say something on the 170 and larger would be

The other thing is whether you'll be in packed surfaces in the East or deep powder out West. You may need wider than normal skis to ensure you float.

An interesting thread you may want to read is at http://www.epicski.com/forum/thread/80150/recomended-skis-for-heavy-intermediate-advanced-skier

Welcome back to the slopes and enjoy the good weather we're about to have!!!

Thanks for all the info guys.

I have been talking back and forth with a guy from the Ski Barn outside of Snowshoe about what to go with size wise (he is also a big guy), and he is recommending I go with their Ski Sport package (comes with brand new, wider, higher performing skis that helps with balance and turning), but at the same time since I havent skied in so long, recommending I start with something easier length wise, like something in the 160cm till i get my feel back and then if I decide I want longer, i can exchange. I dont really want to come down off the mountain if I dont have to.

What do you guys think about his suggestions?

I don't know what the right length is, but 160cm is laughably short for someone your height and weight, even though you haven't skied for 15 years. At most rental shops, the non-demo rental packages (I assume that their "Ski Sport" package is a minor step up in price and performance from their most basic package) are geared toward beginning and low-intermediate skiers. Given this, you'll probably want some of the longest skis they rent(which is probably in the 175-180cm range). You might also call and make sure that the rental shop has large enough boots, if your feet are larger than about size 13.

I really echo taidaho's comments. You may even do well on the 160s for the first two times, as you'll probably be apprehensive and cautious with not only skiing anew after a long time, but also changing the ski technology dramatically. Fine. But after the second time, you'll throw them away as you'll quickly find out that they will limit your ski ability. So if you buy them, that will be money down the chute... If you want to follow the ski shop advice, rent once or twice. You'll realize that the 160s are wayyyyyy too short for you.

The other half of his comment is REALLY apropos. The most significant part of skiing isn't the ski boards. It's the boots. Emphasize that when you're purchasing equipment.

This is a season-lease package? A season lease package is a GREAT idea for someone your size because you can take back gear that you don't like. It also opens up a way for you to get skis that are far stiffer than the usual run of rentals.

That said, 160cm will work OK for you for one day, maybe two if the snow is close to perfect. You will be /miserable/ on scrapey hardpack and you will be an injury waiting to happen in slushy heavy snow.

Again, season lease is a great idea.

No, not a season lease, just renting the day we arrive and returning 4 or so days later... I am thinking I am just going to request something 170-177 and deal with the harder turning/re-learning... just seems like the smartest thing to do

What I consistently don't get is why sales clerks think a person -completely used to- 190cm+ skis should be put on 160cm skis like a never-ever.

It's like they're telling you to completely get rid of all your existing rotation and unweighting skills, go back to being a baby before you can progress.

REL1203, about the only alternative I can think of for you is to go to a really high-rep ski shop and rent there to take to Snowshoe. If you lived in the DC area, that would be easy; I would send you to Ski Center or Willis, both of which shops I /know/ have dealt with cases as out-of-the-ordinary as yours.

My argument for going to a place like that is that they are more likely to have proper boots for you. I am going to guess that you take something long, and wide, in a boot. Whether Ski Barn will be able to fit you for your best experience I cannot say.

Welcome back to the sport!

Your tradeoff involves stability vs the dreaded "crossed tips." If you haven't been on skis in 15 years, you probably won't be going fast enough to worry about stability (that is unless you were a pretty good skier 15 years ago - which would mean that it would come back to you relativley quickly - probably within 2-3 days).

That being said, I'd vote for shorter skis to start - maybe 170-175's. What you need to remember is that wider shaped skis ski longer than the old skinny ones used to. A good 175cm will ski with the same stability as an old 195-200 used to. If after a day or two you are going fast enough to have them act squirrely, then turn 'em in for an upgrade.

As a point of reference. I started skiing late in life - 40. I'm 6' 195. I started with old skinny Fischer 170's and was up to 200's within a year. My max skinny ski length was 208 for GS race skis and 204 for race slalom skis.

20 years later I'm still 195, ski as agressively as ever, ski as hard or harder than ever (55 days 2.6 million feet of vert last year). My primary ski is a 177 cm Volkl AC3 - and it's as solid as any 208 that I ever skied.

Thought I would update this. Went to Canaan Valley over new years and rented from Ski Barn. They gave me 170 skis, and they seemed to do just fine. Definitly longer and harder to turn, but were very stable for me and I ended up never falling for the first full day skiiing in 15 years. I think i will request 170s again when i head to snowshoe at the end of the month.

Comprex,

As for boots, i wear a size 15 shoe, have a medium wide foot, but have big calves (used to leg press and squat 500+ lbs). The calves gave me lots of problems with boots, but on the 4th pair I tried on at Ski Barn in Canaan, found a pair that fit well enough, they were 32.5's and were a little to long I think.

I ended up going to Alpine Ski shop in Sterling area and got fiited for a 31.5" boot, and they have a cheap pair of Solomans on clearence from last year that fit Great (they were like $200, Flex of 75 i think)... I bought them just so as I re-learn, I will have something comfortable that are mine.

Nice. (Thumbs Up)

Having your own boots is a _huge_ help. It makes everything so much easier.

75 flex, huh? Those will be as comfy as inline skate boots in no time.

Have you skied in them yet?

just bought the boots 2 days ago.... The pair I rented from Ski Barn were 55 Flex so yeah, i guess these will be a little stiffer

Just curious, although I agree good boot fit is number one, what brand/model ski did you end up going with? I am not tall(far from it :)), but very stocky and heavy for my size, so have had similar problems with finding right length/type ski. I have demo'd a few but keep coming back to dynastar all mountain legend series. latest toy is sultan 94. I can get lenghts more appropiate for my hieght but provides width for float and the camber and ridgidity seem to be more suited for me. I wonder if at your height and weight if some sort of super fat powder skis wouldn't give you more performance.

Sounds like a good experience. I'll give you one word of caution. I'm 6'3", 230, and also lapsed 15 years and came back to a 170 ski. The next year I bought a some nice 170 skis with great reviews and by the end of the season was ready to trash it. Moved up to 188. Lesson: don't get too confident with the 170 and spend a bunch of money on it, you'll probably want to move up fast. Start off cheap until you find your level of comfort. Happy trails !

I used the Sport Package KM2s that the Ski Barn offers, not sure on the type.

I plan on getting my own skis after this season, obviously nothing good yet, but something.

Reccommend hitting a few demo days at a couple local resorts and doing some reading. finding reviews by folks of similar size will be helpful. Armada is another one brand I demo'd I liked that might work well for you. They are a smaller company, but had some decent mid fats and fats at demo's last year. I also agree with other folks that you will probably want longer skis as you return to form, but you don't want to get into something too fast that keeps you from venturing into more technical areas. The way I figure it, is everyone needs at least one set of short play skis anyway! Oh yeah, final note you might think about buying a set of demo skis near end of season, saves a few bucks and makes you feel better when you go out in a year or two and buy something off the charts!

This whole topic lends itself to what you really want your ski to do. Size, sidecut, width, yada, yada, yada.... If just do groomers and wanna rip, then a GS or Slalom ski that's stiff is what I want. If I do bumps and carve up whales, its a shorter fatter, softer ski. Pow-Pow... I want a rocker!
I have a ski for each condition. If you are looking for one ski to do all, then look at the all mountain variety. Length is not as big an issues as it once was due to ski construction. Don't buy a ski "to grow into" either for skiing improvement or actual physical growth. You need to be comfortable on your boards in the present for improvement to occur. Nothing's worse than having a ski thats too much for your ability or piste preference. A word of caution on demos... due to the need for an adjustable binding they will ski "heavy" and in some conditions can hinder you. Bottom line is find something you are comfortable with and can enjoy. And, don't forget the boots....

I just demo'ed The Dynastar Sultan 94 at Whitetail this past Wednesday. Outstanding ski! Skied it in a 178 (I'm 6'1", 195+, skilled skier.) It is my choice for a one-ski quiver in the Mid Atlantic; you should be able to ski it well in everything: groomers, bumps, trees, pow, crud. Very quick edge to edge and nice carving feel underfoot for a relatively wide-body ski. The 85-95 width category should be looked at for skiing locally, even if you ski a lot of groomers; it is not too wide.

The Sultan 94 blows away my current two Mid A skis: Elan 666 (76 underfoot) and Line Prophet 90 (90 underfoot.) I'm looking to replace my ski for Rocky Mtn trips (100+), but the Sultan 94 is so schweet I may just buy it anyway.

Sorry K-Will, but GS and SL skis are too much one trick ponies. If you ski them more than a few runs a day, you need to branch out and ski the rest of the world.

Also, I'm not gonna give away the farm since some skis are in very short supply, but there are several skis out there which are supposedly Western Daily Drivers which have tremendous edge hold and carve very nicely on Whitetail hardpack (even the scraped-off sections.) Ski technology may currently be experiencing an innovative jump comparable to the introduction of shaped skis...

If you're climbing the rapid learning curve again, don't lock yourself into technology from 1-2 years ago. (Unless you get the skis at an absolute steal of a price.)

PM me sometime this year. I've got a pair of circa 2004 Head I.M. 75 skis. They were the Real Skiers ski of the year that year. Used mebbe 10 times. 177 length. They are a fairly burly ski (but easy to turn at speed.) They may be ideal for a heavier guy like yourself.

If PJ (comprex) thinks they may be a fit, they're yours for a steal. (Under $100 but I'll let PJ recommend a fair price if he thinks ~$100 is too much.) They may be a bit more advanced than where you're at right now, but maybe not. PJ would have some ideas. They have railflex bindings, so I *believe* the bindings could be adjusted without having to redrill. PJ?

They were not the right match for what I wanted (tight turning ski at low speed.) I demo'ed the 170's, but unfortunately bought the 177's. I'm much heavier now myself, but I've got other skis that I'm using.

Edit: Bindings are a Din 12, so at most, your Din setting should be a 10. At your weight and boot length, you need to pay attention to Din settings.